Operating mechanism for steam-shovels.



E. HAWKINS. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR STEAM SHOVELS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, 19%5- Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IELWOOD HAWKINS, 0F ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR STEAIfl-SHOVELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. it 3191?.

Application filed December 10, 1915. Serial No. 66,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, ELwooD HAWKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic City, in the county of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Operating Mechanism for Steam-Shovels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of excavating, and more specifically to operating mechanism for steam shovels.

An object of the invention is the provision of operating means for excavators or steam shovels so that one man can control the entire machine.

A further object of the invention resides in the arrangement of the operating means with relation to the steam boiler so that one man can easily and efliciently control the entire operation of the excavator from his usual position near the front end of the engine without the aid of an assistant to control the auxiliary engine which is located on the swinging boom.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of operating means that is simple in construction and operation and containing the minimum number of parts which can be easily replaced if necessary without a great amount of lost time.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the combination, arrangement, and construction of parts that are fully described in the appending description and shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the im proved operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail edge elevation of the ring member.

Fig. 4- is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 4% of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the lever connection.

This invention is adapted to be placed upon an excavator of the ordinary type that is provided with a turn table 5 arranged on a platform 6, carrying a swinging boom 7, an adjustable dipper arm 8, and a dipper 9.

A standard 10 is secured to the said platform near its outer end and in close proximity to the turn table carrying the boom. The standard 10 is provided with a base head portion on each side are bell crank levers 13 and 14. Springs 60 are provided to normally hold the bell crank levers in inoperative position. The lower ends of the bell crank levers are fastened to connecting links 15 and 16 by means of short pins 17 and 18. The said connecting links are in turn connected with shafts 19 and 20 by means of upright arms 21 and 22 journaled to the said shaft. Hand lovers 23 and 24 are also rigidly connected to the shafts 19 and 20 to operate the device. The said shaft is held in any suitable hearings or supports that might be handy or convenient.

The upper ends of the bell crank levers are connected to rocking arms 25 and 26 by means of connecting links 27 and 28. The rocking arms are mounted on shafts 29 and 30 passing loosely through bearing openings in the head of the standard and provided with, auxiliary rocking arms 81 and 32 on opposite sides of the head from the main rockin arms. The outer ends of the rocking arms 25, 26, 31, and 32, are provided with flattened head portions containing elongated slots 33 adapted to receive pintles 3st carried by upper and low-er crossheads 35 and S6. The said crossheads are carried by a suitable crosshead guide 37 secured by means of bolts or other fasteners to the outer face of the head of the said standard. Secured by means of bolts 38 to the crossheads and 36, are ring members 39 and 40. The said ring members are each provided with upper and lower laterally projecting circumferential flanges 4L1 to retain a loosely mounted band L2 in position on the ring. The said bands as are. connected to controlling rods i8 and 49, carried on the swinging boom, by means of connecting rods 43, carriers as, shafts 4:6, and depending arms L7. Bearing supports 44L- secured to the beam in any desired manner are adapted to support the shafts a6 and hold the same in position. One of the controlling rods, namely, 48 is connected to the auxiliary steam engine 10- cated on the boom for raising or lowering the dipper arms, and is adapted to control the same upon the operation of the lever 23. The controlling rod 4:9 is connected to a pivoted dog 50 arranged to operate in connection with a cog wheel 51 carried by the boom. The said cog wheel is also adapted to carry a chain 52 connected by means of a flexible connection 53 with the sliding latch 54 on the bottom of the dipper 9. The chain 52 is connected to the flexible member by means of a small ring 55. The said ring is also adapted to retain one end of a coil spring 56 having its other end connected with the dipper arm by means of a hook member 57 secured in any convenient manner. The coil spring must be strong enough to counteract the weight of the chain and of a counterweight 58 carried by the chain "to take up any slack occurring therein. The

front end of the dipper bucket is provided with the usual haulage chain or cable 59 passing over a pulley in the outer end of the boom and a second pulley located on the frame work of the excavator above the turn table and down through the ring members to a pulley below the level of the turn table and thence back to the winding drum (not shown). I

The operation of this device is as follows:

By pushing forward the lever 23, through the several connecting means, the rear end of the rocking arm is raised, thus forcing the front end carrying the crossheads down, and, through the connecting rod 43, the car rier a5, the shaft 46, and arm L7, the operating rod a8 is moved forwardly and operates the steam engine on the boom. In a like manner, by pushing forward lever 24, the operating rod 49 moves forward and forces the pivoted dog into locking engagement with the cog wheel 51, thus stopping the movement of the chain and, by advancing the dipper arm farther the spring 56 is expanded and the flexible connection 53 acts on the sliding latch to release the same, thus releasing the contents of the dipper.

It will be seen from Fig. 1 of the drawings that when the swinging boom is rotated on the turn table that, since the axis of the turn table and the ring members is the same, the bands 42 will slide on said rings 39 and 40, thus always keeping the device in operation without adjustment of the same by hand. For the same reason, the haulage cable or chain 59 is passed through the ring elements so as to keep the same approximately in a line with the axis of rotation of the turn table. The said ring elements are arranged directly over the said turn table for a like reason.

In view of the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, a further explanation of the operation of the device is unnecessary, changes may be made in the mode of operation, and minor details of construction without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing" any of the advantages thereof.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a platform, a boom carried by said platform, an engine carried by said boom, a standard carried by said platform, operating levers carried by said platform, connecting rods carried by said standard connected with the said operating levers, rocking arms carried by the said connecting rods, sliding members to coact with the said rocking arms, the said sliding members being carried by means attached to the standard, ring members carried by said sliding members and coacting with said band members to form a swinging joint, the said bands being connected with means to operate said engine.

2. The combination with the swinging boom of a steam shovel, of a standard mounted upon the platform of said boom, a vertically disposed rail carried by said standard, a plurality of levers slidably mounted at one of their ends upon said rail, means connected with said levers for actuating them, supports mounted upon said swinging boom, means pivotally mounted upon one of said-supports and connected with one of said levers adapted to control the lid operating mechanism of the bucket of said boom, and means pivotally mounted upon the other of said supports and connected with the other of said levers adapted to control the auxiliary engine mounted upon said boom.

3. The combination with a swinging boom mounted upon a platform and provided with a shovel and an auxiliary enginev upon said boom, of a standard mounted upon said platform, a rail mounted upon said standard, lere s slid-ably mounted upon said rail, means connected with said levers for operating them, said levers being formed with a laterally flanged ring member and a band loosely mounted thereon, said ring members being disposed above the axial center 'of said swinging boom, means connected with one of said levers for controlling said auxiliary engine, and means connected with the other of said levers for controlling the dumping mechanism of said shovel i. In an excavator, the combination with a main platform having a swinging boom, a dipper and arm carried thereby andan engine to operate the arm, of a rod connecting with the throttle of said engine, a lever on V the platform, link members connected with said lever, a crosshead and guide connected,

crossheads to control the engine regardless of the position of the boom,

5. In an excavator, the combination with a main platform having a swinging boom, a dipper arm and a dipper carried thereby, said dipper having a swinging door, latch 5 means for said door, of automatic means on said dipper arm connecting with said boom to unlock said door when the boom and dipper arm are relatively moved, a counterweight, means to lock said automatic means when the boom and dipper arm are rela- 10 tively moved for unlocking the door, and means connected with said locking means to operate the same from said platform regardless of the position of the boom.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 15 hereto.

ELWOOD HAWKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. C. 

